Credit card punching and printing apparatus



Oct. 29, 1963 R. A. SCHACHT CREDIT CARD PUNCHING AND PRINTING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 13, 1961 FZ' .z 62 60 5s 5 55 T 60 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 F" .4 60 mil 64 66 I IM/IA/TOQ:

T012 NEYS ROY H. SCHHCH Oct. 29, 1963 R. A. SCHACHT CREDIT CARD PUNCHING AND PRINTING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 13, 1961 wk at ROY 0. 5: WW

Oct. 29, 1963 R. A. SCHACHT CREDIT CARD PUNCHING AND PRINTING APPARATUS Oct. 29, I963 R. A. SCHACHT CREDIT CARD PUNCHING AND PRINTING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 13, 1961 g 4 q q l m mwwa m m n N o g WW m a m2 3 5 T 3 8? Q: v. r I a n all H A gm ||||1|||| 11' I! I w M I a o J e ww \@m g W a M 9% v2 & 1 z m V 5 m mm o m Qw\ U nmv o Q 9 w m av @S Q: N: 2 g ow I I l I ll vw N? vQ N Q R Q r AN. J m Nw wv @NNQ Q aw vw w United States Patent 3,168,742 CREDIT CARD PUNClt-IING AND PRINTING APPARATUS Roy Arthur Schaeht, 744 Des Peres Road, Kirkwood, M0. Filed Get. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 147,122 16 (Zlaims. (Cl. 23435) This invention relates to improvements in punch and die marking machines and in particular is related to an improvement in an apparatus for marking coded printed card statements and the like.

By means of this invention there has been provided a portable credit card punching and printing apparatus which may be used with a customers credit card to impart the coded punch marking to the customers statement. The apparatus is so designed that individually movable punch and die elements may be actuated by offset portions, such as embossed or debossed portions of the customers credit card to arrange the individual punch and die elements in a coded fashion, such that when a hand-operated carriage is moved over the punch and die elements, a statement card is punched out in coded relationship signifying a particular customers personal code. The apparatus is also designed such that the customers name and address set forth on the credit card in offset relationship, such as by embossing or debossing, can be caused to be contacted by an inked roller to transfer the customers name and address upon the statement, or, alternatively, this may be done by pressure relationship using a carboned portion of the statement.

Further, by means of this invention, there has been provided individually manually operable punch and die elements which may be arranged to denote particular relationship of a transaction peculiar to the individual customer. Thus, the date, amount of sale, and, for instance, for use in filling stations, the gallonage consumed can all be indicated by moving keyed punch and die elements in proper relationship to indicate this information. These punch and die elements may also be contacted by the hand movable carriage to punch out holes on the statement to indicate this particular information.

As a particular feature of this invention, the punch and die elements have been made in unitary fashion and preferably take the form of a J-shaped configuration with an overhanging and depressable punch portion being adapted to be depressed by the operation of a hand carriage into engaging relationship with a die portion formed on the J-shaped member beneath the punch element. The statement cards can be inserted between these members and punched out very simply.

Essentially, the credit card marking apparatus employs a movable carriage upon which the credit card can be emplaced overlying a statement card which also is positioned upon a tray. The tray may then be moved into operating relationship with the base of the apparatus in such a fashion that when so moved debossed portions of the credit card actuate in coded relationship individual punch and die elements to conform with positioning of the coded debossed portion of the credit card. After the engaging of the tray and after manually moving the manually movable punch and die elements to indicate a particular transaction peculiar to the particular customer served and to indicate the date, etc., the hand carriage is operated manually. The manual movement of the carriage depresses the punch elements of the punch and die units to cause punching out of coded holes in the statement to complete the transaction and transfer of necessary information. The tray may then be disengaged with the statement and card being simply removed after which the apparatus is ready for another transaction.

The apparatus may be very simply employed by unskilled clerks and the like and can be operated with a minimum of effort and time involved. Due to the rugged characteristics of the design, the apparatus is stable and can be used with assurance under rigorous operating conditions.

The above features are objects of this invention and further features and objects will appear in the detailed description below and will be otherwise apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration of this invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred example. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus showing the tray retracted and the credit card holder also completely retracted;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the apparatus with the credit card holder closed;

FIGURE 3 is a view in side elevation taken from the left side of FIGURE 1 showing the credit card holder opened and in vertical position with other positions being shown in dotted lines;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary top plan view partly in section showing the mounting of the carriage frame to the apparatus;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view in section taken on line 55 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a view in section taken similarly to FIG- URE 5 but showing the tray in operated position after the credit card has been inserted in its holder;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged view in section taken on line 77 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 8 is a view in section taken similarly to FIG- URE 7, but showing the tray in operated position after the credit card has been inserted;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged view in section taken on line 99 of FIGURE 1 showing the structure of the carriage and the punch and die operating roller;

FIGURE 10 is an enlarged view in section taken on line 1tlll0 of FIGURE 1 showing the carriage and an inking pressure roller;

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section taken similarly to FIGURE 10, but showing the carriage at a diiferent stage of operation with the roller positioned over the name and address section of a credit card and over a statement card, on which these indicia are to be reproduced;

FIGURE 12 is a fragmentary view in section taken similarly to FIGURE 8 showing the operation of the punch and die operating roller as it passes over a punch H and die element;

FIGURE 13 is an enlarged view in section showing the operation of the punch and die operating roller as it passes over the spacing elements positioned on top of the punch and die element;

FIGURE 14 is an exploded top plan view of a punch and die spacing element supporting frame and statement engager;

FIGURE 15 is a bottom plan view of a punch and die roller and inking roller mounting block;

FIGURE 16 is a top plan view of the mounting block of FIGURE 15;

FIGURE 17 is a pictorial view of a spacing bar that is used on top of the punch and die element;

FIGURE 18 is a side view of a punch and die element showing a statement inserted in it in section;

FIGURE 19 is a view in section on the line 1919 of FIGURE 18;

FIGURE 20 is a view in section taken similarly to FIG- URE 19 but showing the punch and die in punching relationship;

FIGURE 21 is a top plan view of the credit card marking tray element with attached parts removed;

FIGURE 2 2 is an enlarged view in section on the line 22-22 of FIGURE 21;

FIGURE 23 is an enlarged view in section of a credit card holder;

FIGURE 24 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the lower left hand corner of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1 showing the manually operated punch and die units to eifect indicia marking relative to the date and amount of a transaction upon a statement inserted in the apparatus;

FIGURE 25 is a fragmentary view similar to FIGURE 24 but showing the individual punch and die elements oper-ated to show a particular date and transaction amount;

FIGURE 26 is a top plan view of a credit card used in this apparatus;

FIGURE 2 7 is an enlarged view in front elevation of a credit card;

FIGURE 28 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 28-28 of FIGURE 26; and

FIGURE 29 is a top plan view of a statement imprinted and marked with punched indicia by the use of the credit card and the operation of the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings, the credit card marking device is generally indicated by the reference numeral 40 in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. The main portions of the apparatus are a flat base 42, a tray 44 mounted upon the base in sliding horizontal relationship therewith, a cross frame or support 46, and a carriage 48 movable upon the cross frame and over the tray, and individual punch and die units 59 engage-able by the credit card and manually movable individual punch and die units 52, which may be operated to indicate details peculiar to the individual transaction, such as the date, the amount, etc. As shown in FIGURE 4 in dotted lines, a credit card 54 is adapted to be mounted upon the tray in engagement with a statement card 56 likewise mounted upon the tray. These individual components will be further described in detail below.

The rear of the base 42, as best shown in FIGURES 1 and 9, has stop elements 58 as shown at the top portion of FIGURE 1 which serve to define the limit of movement of the tray 44. Side rails 60 are also mounted upon the base to guide the tray. A rear cover 62, best shown in FIGURES 1 and 7, is connected to the stop elements 58 by bolts and covers the rear portion of the base up to the cross frame. A cross frame cover 64, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 9, is mounted to the cross frame and covers the internal mechanism thereof. A front cover 66, also shown in FIGURES 1 and 7, is mounted to the front portion of the cross frame and protects the front of the inner cross frame elements.

The construction of the tray 44 is best shown in FI URES 1, 4 and 21 to 23. As there shown, it has a longitudinal slot 76, which is adapted to receive the punch and die elements t An additional slot 72 is provided to receive the manually operable punch and die elements 52. Statement card guide rails 74 and '75, as shown in FIGURE 21, are mounted upon the tray to guide the statement card into proper registry upon it. The credit card 54 is adapted to be received in proper registrable relation by the use of guide pins 76 to position the credit card properly at the side, while a credit card holder '78 is provided which defines a limiting movement of the credit card to the front. The credit card holder 78 has a handle 30, which also serves as a 'handle for the tray, and is hingedly mounted upon hinges 82 mounted upon the tray. Thus, the credit card may be inserted between the guide pins '76 until it abuts against the credit card holder as shown in FIGURE 4. The holder is then moved to the counterclockwise position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 3. The tray is further provided with finger holes 84 as shown in FIGURE 4, which have shal- 4% low side portions 86 to receive the dampening springs 88 mounted upon the holder as shown in FIGURE 23.

The cross frame 46 is best shown in FIGURES 7 through 12. It comprises, as shown in FIGURE 9, two vertical end supports 9%} which are secured to the base and which in turn support a top horizontal brace member 92 which serves as a track for the carriage. Front cross rail 94 and rear cross rail 95 extend transversely across the base and are supported at their ends by the vertical standards 99. These cross rails are formed with an inwardly turned flange which supports a plurality of spacing members 96 that are individually in registry with the J-sh'aped punch and die members 56 and 52. This supporting relationship is best shown in FIGURE 12 where it will be seen that the spacing member 96 is supported in somewhat of a floating relationship upon the side rails by virtue of tongues 98 at the front end and tongues ltlt) at the rear end which are spaced apart from one another a greater distance than the thickness of the flanges of the rails 92 and 94 respectively. This permits the spacing members to move up and down and tilt with respect to the rails. Detent notches 97 are provided to engage detents positioned on the punch and die members to insure correct positioning. The spacing members 96 are held in the uppermost position by the spring action of the J-shaped punch and die members which are normally sprung open due to their spring frame construction.

The spacing members 96 positioned above the punch and die member 50 are held in place by guide members 102 and 104, as shown in FIGURE 9, while the spacing members positioned above the manually operated punch and die member 52 are held in proper relation by guide members 196 and 108. Also, as shown in FIGURE 9, there is positioned between the guide members 184 and 106 a spring member 119 having a pair of rollers 1112, which acts as a statement card guide to keep the statement card biased against the tray and prevent it from riding upwardly during the punching operation and withdrawal of the punches from the die members as will appear more fully below.

The carriage member 48 is best shown in FIGURES 9, 10 and 12. As there shown, it comprises a carriage support block 114 comprising a transverse central portion 116 and a pair of vertically upstanding end portions, the front portion of this pair being designated I18 and the rear portion being designated 112%) which extend both above and below the central portion 116. The top portions of the elements 118 and 126 closely engage the transverse brace 92 of the cross frame in sliding relationship and are connected to a C-shaped handle support member 122, which has a handle element 124 connected at the top. A punch and die operating roller I28 is mounted upon the lower portions of the elements 138 and 12d of the support block by a shaft 136 passing therethrough. Also, at the front end, a roller I32 is mounted. This roller, it will be understood, may be a saturated inking roller of the type well known in the art, or may be a simple roller adapted to physically impress an imprint of an image from an embossed portion of a credit card through a carbon copy upon a transfer card, forming part of the statement card, as will be readily understood.

The individual punch and die sections 50 and 52 are best shown in FIGURES 18 and 19, as well as FIGURE 8. Both the punch and die members in sections 59 and 52 are identical in construction with the exception of their ends and are of a generally J-shaped configuration. They comprise'a bottom die portion 136 which is elongated and has a credit card contacting end 133 for section member. It will be noted that the punch and die members are relatively narrow in width, and it is a feature of this invention that because of the narrow width, which makes construction and expense simple, the stacking in close contact between the side walls of the openings receiving them in the tray prevent their warping and misalignment. As shown in FIGURE 18, a spring member 146 is mounted upon the interior of the punch and die members and has an upwardly flaring end 148 so as to receive a statement card underneath in the relationship shown in this figure. The spring serves as a retaining member to prevent the statement card from being withdrawn by the punch member when it is retracted from the punching operation.

The arrangement of the punch and die members 52 is best shown in FIGURES 1, 24 and 25. As shown in FIGURES 24 and 25, the individually manually operable punch and die units 52 are operable in sections to provide information as to a particular transaction. Thus, there is a year section comprised of four punch and die members, indicated generally by the reference numeral 151), a month and day section comprised of three members indicated by reference numeral 152, with it being understood that the day section is not shown because of space limitation, an oil and gas section 154 comprising two members and a dollars and cents section 156 comprised of four members and which reads as a maximum in the amount of $99.99. The particular arrangement is shown merely for the purpose of example, as applied to the use for imprinting information upon a statement card in a gas service station, and it will be readily understood that the punch and die members may be varied for different types of transactions, depending upon the usage.

As best shown in FIGURE 5, the individual punch and die members in section 52 have a finger tab 158 at the end in order to provide for individual manual operation and are otherwise identical with the punch and die members in section 56), as described in connection with FIGURES 18, 19 and 20. For ease in reading the setting of the punch and die members, an indicating pointer 160 is provided. Thus, as shown in FIGURE 25, the amount of a particular transaction may be very simply read, which, in FIGURE 25, is for a setting of September 1961, and a gas transaction in the amount of $5.68.

The individual coded credit card 54 used in this invention is shown in FIGURES 26, 27 and 28. As there shown, the credit card has an embossed name and address section 162 and a plurality of debossed elements 164. The debosssed elements 164 extend in a staggered row transversely across the credit card and underneath the main section. Thus, the debossed portions are in registry individually with the punch and die elements 50 and it will be understood that as the credit card is placed upon the tray and moved relatively across the base of the credit card marking apparatus, the debossed portions engage the ends of the individual punch and die members mounted upon the base of the apparatus and cause relative movement therewith in accordance with the coded relationship of the debossed elements. When the statement card is then caused to be punched out by the operation of the machine, there will be punching imparted to the statement card in accordance with the debossed code of the individual credit card used for the particular transaction. This relationship is shown in punched-out sections 166 in the statement card 56 of FIGURE 29, which punched-out sections are shown to be in the same general pattern of the debossed elements as shown in FIG- URE 26.

The statement card 56 is also shown with punched-out sections 168, which conform to the settings of the individual punch and die members 52 as shown for the arrangement set in FIGURE 25. It will be understood that the statement card shown in FIGURE 9 is on a reduced scale, but will be provided with the conventional headings for a year section 1'79, a month and day section 6 172, an oil and gas section 174, and a dollars and cents section 176, all as shown in FIGURE 29, and conforming to the sections 150, 152, 154 and 156 as shown for the individual punch and die members in manually operable section 52 as previously described. The statement card shown in FIGURE 29 can take the form of a conventional IBM type of statement card or similar card presently used in service stations which comprises a stiff paper stock underlaid by a carbon paper and a tissue stock receipt paper underneath. In the usual transaction, the cardboard stock is retained by the service station and the tissue stock and carbon are torn therefrom with the carbon paper being thrown away and the tissue paper receipt being given to the customer for his personal use. The IBM cardboard stock card is then processed by the service station at its headquarters to compile the monthly statement of this customer with the machine records of the company.

Operation For the purpose of example, the operation of this credit card marking apparatus 40 will be described in connection with the recording of the sale of gas at a service station. As fully brought out above, however, the apparatus may be used for other purposes with any type of credit card operation or other usages where a coded card of an individual is desired to be employed against a statement or other record card for recording of a particular transaction.

For the purpose or" description, it may be taken that the individual customers transaction occurred in September 1961, and was for the purchase of gasoline in the amount of $5.68. After completing the servicing, the attendant, if the apparatus is not already fully cleared, operates the apparatus to the cleared position by fully withdrawing the tray 44 and opening the credit card holder to the position shown in FIGURE 1. Then, as the next operation, the credit card is emplaced between the guide pins 76 and against the base of the credit card holder 78 and the statement card is placed thereover and fitted between the punch and die portions. This relationship is shown in FIGURES 4 and 7. As the next operation, the individually operable punch and die members 52 are operated to the position shown in FIGURE 25 by pushing on the finger tabs 158. It will be understood that the year section for the punch and die elements 150 and the month and day sections may already have been set up prior to the transaction to provide a standard setting which is not changed for individual transactions by cutting out the rear of the tray opposite these sections. This leaves only the gas section punch and die elements 154 and the dollars and cents section 156 to be operated by the attendant.

After the set up of the credit card and the statement card and the operation of the manually operable punch and die elements in section 52 has been accomplished, the credit card holder is closed and the tray is moved by placing the hand upon the knob 80 and moving the tray to the rear of the base to the position shown in FIGURES 6 and 8. This movement causes the debossed portions 164 of the credit card to contact individually the punch and die elements 50 at their ends 138 and move them into staggered relationship conforming with the particular pattern of the debossed elements according to the individual credit card holders coding.

Once this operation has been effected, the remaining operation comprises taking the carriage 48 by placing the attendants hand upon the handle element 124 and moving it to the right from the position shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2. As this movement is effected, the punch and die operating roller 128 will move over the spacer members 96 and cause the impression of the punch portion 142 of the punch and die members, as shown in FIGURES 12 and 13, to effect the punching operation in the statement card. The movement of the carriage also causes the inking roller 132 to press the statement card into firm engagement With the embossed address and name portion 162 of the credit card. At the completion of the movement of the carriage to the limiting right hand side position of FIGURES 1 and 2, the statement card will be punched out in the pattern shown in FIGURE 29 and the name and address of the customer will be imprinted in the section 180 as shown in FIGURE 29.

The apparatus is then ready for return to the neutral position which is accomplished by retracting the carriage to the left hand position shown in FIGURES l and 2. As this is effected, the natural resiliency of the punch and die elements causes the punches to be raised and returned to their neutral position. Any tendency of the statement card to be drawn upward with the punch is resisted by the statement engaging roller 112 and also by the retaining springs 148 overlying the statement card within the punch and die members. Upon the return of the carriage to the neutral position at the left hand side of the apparatus, the tray is withdrawn to the original position shown in FIGURE 1. The statement card is then removed with the fully punched out data thereon and the credit card is likewise removed by opening the holder and placing the fingers on the card at the finger hole positions 84 and returning the credit card to the customer. The credit card marking apparatus is then ready for the next transaction with it being understood that the individual punch and die members 52 are changed appropriately after being returned to the neutral position shown in FIGURE 24 for the gas and oil section 154 and the dollars and cents sections 156.

Various changes and modifications may be made within this apparatus as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, punch and die members mounted as a unit upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray and between the punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base and extending over said tray and a movable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

2. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray between punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base extending over said tray and a movable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

3. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in a horizontally movable relation therewith, punch and die members mounted as a unit upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, said tray. having vertical walls defining a slot receiving the punch and die members in horizontally stacked relation, means for receivin a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray and between the punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base and extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card. i

4. A credit card marking device comprising a base, tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, said tray having a pair of vertical side walls and a pair of vertical end walls defining a slot receiving the punch and die members in horizontally stacked relation to provide a close sliding fit between the side walls of the slot and said end walls of the slot being spaced a distance apart a substantial distance greater than the length of the punch and die members to provide for relative movement therebetween, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray between punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

5. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable re lation therewith, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, said punch and die members being relatively thin and comprising a relatively short punch member overlying in spaced relation a relatively long die member, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray between punch and'die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

6. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, said punch and die members being relatively thin and comprising a relatively short punch member overlying in spaced relation a relatively long die member, said punch and die member being connected at one end with an opposite end of the punch member having a punch element overlying an intermediate die element formed in said die member and an opposite end of the die member being engageable by a credit card, means for receiving the credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die member engaging elements positioned in registry with individual punch and die members, said credit card engaging elements being engageable with the aforementioned end of the die member, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray between punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base extending over said 9 tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

7. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, said punch and die members being relatively thin and comprising a relatively short punch member overlying in spaced relation a relatively long die member, said punch and die member being connected at one end with an opposite end of the punch member having a punch element overlying an intermediate die element formed in said die member and an opposite end of the die member being engageable by a credit card, said punch element having a width of substantially half the width of the punch and die member and said die element being formed by a slot in the die element closely conforming to the shape of said punch element, means for receiving the credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die member engaging elements positioned in registry with individual punch and die members, said credit card engaging elements being engageable with the aforementioned end of the die member, said punch and die members being relatively thin and comprising a relatively short punch member overlying in spaced relation a relatively long die member, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray between punch and die members, a cross frame mount-ed upon said base extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

8. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation there-with, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, said punch and die members being relatively thin and comprising a relatively short punch member overlying in spaced relation a relatively long die member, said punch and die member being connected at one end with an opposite end of the punch member having a punch element overlying an intermediate die element formed in said die member and an opposite end of the die member being engageable by a credit card, said punch element having a Width of substantially half the Width of the punch and die member and said die element being formed by a slot in the die element closely conforming to the shape of said punch element, said tray having vertical walls defining a slot receiving the punch and die members in horizontally stacked relation, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray and between the punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base and extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

9. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, said punch and die members being relatively thin and comprising a relatively short punch member overlying in spaced relation a relatively long die member, said punch and die member being connected at one end with an opposite end of the punch member having a punch element overlying an intermediate die element formed in said die member and an opposite end of the die member being engageable by a credit card, said punch element having a width of substantially half the width of the punch and die member and said die element being :fiorrned by a slot in the die element closely conforming to the shape of said punch element, said tray having a pair of vertical side 'walls and a pair of vertical end walls defining a slot receiving the punch and die members in horizontally stacked relation to provide a close sliding fit between the side Walls of the slot and said end walls of the slot being spaced a distance apart a substantial distance greater than the length of the punch and die members to provide for relative movement therebetween, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray between punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

10. A credit card marking device for marking a statement card, comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, punch and die members mounted as a unit upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging members in registry with individual punch and die members, separate means for transmitting punch holes to the statement card corresponding to data for a particular transaction comprising separate punch and die members manually movable to selected positions, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray and between the punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base and extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging members of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

11. A credit card marking device for marking a statement card comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, punch and die members mounted upon said base, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging members in registry with individual punch and die members, separate means for transmitting punch holes to the statement card corresponding to data for a particular transaction comprising separate punch and die members manually movable to selected positions, said separate punch and die members having a plurality of markings thereon conforming to the data to be transmitted and being disposed in a horizontal stack and individually movable within said stack into registry with a guide pointer overlying said stack serving as a register for the data to be transmitted, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray and between the punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base and extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging members of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being op- 1 l erable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

12. A credit card marking device for marking a statement card comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, punch and die members mounted as a unit upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging members in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray and between the punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base and extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said carriage being supported upon a track extending across said tray and being provided with a punch roller cooperableupon movement of said carriage with said punch element of the punch and die member to drive it into punching relationship with the statement card after said tray is moved to engage the punch and die engaging members of the credit card with the punch and die members.

13. A credit card marking device for marking a statement card comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, punch and die members mounted upon said base, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging members in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray and between the punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base and extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, said carriage being sup ported upon a track extending across said tray and being provided with a punch roller cooperable upon movement of said carriage with said punch element of the punch and die member to drive it into punching relationship with the statement card and said carriage being further provided with a pressure roller cooperable in pressure relation with an offset name and address section of the credit card to transmit said offset matter to the statement card when placed thereove-r, both said punch roller and said pressure roller being operable by manual movement of the carriage after said tray is moved to engage the punch and die engaging members of the credit card with the punch and die members.

14. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray between punch and die members, stripping means situated between the punch and die elements and receiving the statement card between the stripping means and the die element and biasing the statement card against said die element, a cross frame mounted upon said base extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said fname, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to engage the punch elements for punching out a coded punch hole in the statement card.

15. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, said punch and die members being relatively thin and comprising a relatively short punch member overlying in spaced relation a relatively long die 12 7 member, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray between punch and die members, a cross frame mounted upon said base extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame and carrying a punch operating roller, said cross frame including a pair of rails extending over said tray supporting in relatively movable vertical relation opposed ends of spacer elements overlying the punch members, said cross frame further including a guide member supporting the carriage in slidable relation over the tray, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to move the roller against the spacer elements to openate the punch members to punch out coded punch holes in the statement card.

16. A credit card marking device comprising a base, a tray mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, J-shaped punch and die members mounted upon said base in horizontally movable relation therewith, said punch and die members being relatively thin and comprising a relatively short punch member overlying in spaced relation a relatively long die member, said punch and die member being connected at one end with an opposite end of the punch member having a punch element overlying an intermediate die element formed in said die member and an opposite end of the die member being engageable by a credit card-said punch element having a width of substantially half the width of the punch and die member and said die element being formed by a slot in the die element closely conforming to the shape of said punch element, said tray having a pair of vertical side walls and a pair of vertical end walls defining a slot receiving the punch and die members in horizontally stacked relation to provide a close sliding fit between the side walls of the slot and said end walls of the slot being spaced a distance apart a substantial distance greater than the length of the punch and die members to provide for relative movement therebet-ween, means for receiving a credit card upon said tray with coded punch and die engaging elements in registry with individual punch and die members, means for receiving a statement card upon the tray between punch and die members, a cross fname mounted upon said base extending over said tray and a manually operable carriage mounted upon said frame, and carrying a punch operating roller, said cross bra-me including a pair of nails extending over said tray supporting in relatively movable vertical relation opposed ends of spacer elements overlying the punch members, said cross frame further including a guide member supporting the carriage in slidable relation over the tray, said tray being movable to engage the punch and die engaging elements of the credit card with the punch and die members in coded relation and said carriage being operable to move the roller against the spacer elements to operate the punch members to punch out cod-ed punch holes in the statement card.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,424,856 Spicer Aug. 8, 1922 2,356,995 Goll-witzer Aug. 29, 1944 2,909,221 Hopp Oct. 20, 1959 2,964,239 VJhi-ts'on Dec. 13, 1960 2,994,473 Farmer et a1. Aug. 1, 1961 3,008,632 Grady Nov. 14, 1961 3,008,634 Pennington Nov. 14, 1961 

1. A CREDIT CARD MARKING DEVICE COMPRISING A BASE, A TRAY MOUNTED UPON SAID BASE IN HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE RELATION THEREWITH, PUNCH AND DIE MEMBERS MOUNTED AS A UNIT UPON SAID BASE IN HORIZONTALLY MOVABLE RELATION THEREWITH, MEANS FOR RECEIVING A CREDIT CARD UPON SAID TRAY WITH CODED PUNCH AND DIE ENGAGING ELEMENTS IN REGISTRY WITH INDIVIDUAL PUNCH AND DIE MEMBERS, MEANS FOR RECEIVING A STATEMENT CARD UPON THE TRAY AND BETWEEN THE PUNCH AND DIE MEMBERS, A CROSS FRAME MOUNTED UPON 